Pros: Four LED battery life indicators; Comfortable to hold; Relatively light; Replaceable battery
Cons: Doesn't last as long as other battery cases
The Verdict: The iBattz Mojo Refuel not only doubles the endurance of your iPhone 5S, it also lets you swap out the battery on the fly.
You iPhone power users know that the battery on your phone quickly drains when you're downloading tons of content, surfing the Web, and taking photos and videos. The $75 iBattz Mojo Refuel Removable Battery Case helps alleviate those concerns, more than doubling the endurance of your iPhone. You can even swap out this case's battery on the fly. But how does the Mojo measure up to other battery cases on the market?
Unlike the iBattz Mojo Hi5 case and Tylt Energi, which have removable battery sections, the Mojo Refuel is meant to be kept on your iPhone in one piece. At 2.64 ounces, the Refuel is lighter than the 3.35-ounce Energi and 3-ounce Lenmar Meridian, but slightly heavier than the 2.5-ounce Mophie Juice Pack Helium.
In order to attach your iPhone to the case, you must first remove the silver section of the Refuel, then slide the iPhone into the black portion of the case, and finally reattach the silver piece. It's a simple operation. We like that the silver piece has small indentations, and the back has a soft-touch finish, which makes the case easy to grip.
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The back of the Mojo Refuel has four blue LEDs, a setup that gives a more accurate indication of the amount of charge left in the battery than does the Green/Red/Blue LED of the Energi. A small button on the side of the case turns on the lights temporarily.
In another clever feature, the Refuel uses a removable I9300 battery, the same type found in the Samsung Galaxy SIII. This battery is readily available online for around $10.
We like that, in addition to a microUSB cable (which you'll need to recharge the case), the Mojo comes with a 3.5-mm headphone extension-cord.
Performance
The company estimates that the Mojo Refuel's 2,200-mAh battery will provide up to 100-percent extra power, and iBattz more than delivered. The case added 6 hours and 5 minutes of extra juice to an iPhone 5S for a total runtime of 11:31. That result beats the Mophie Helium, which only provided an extra 3 hours of juice, but it fell behind the Lenmar Meridian (10:05) and the Tylt Energi (15:12).
MORE: 10 Smartphones with the Longest Battery Life
Verdict
With an attractive design, excellent endurance and a low price, the iBattz Mojo Refuel battery case for the iPhone 5/5S is a strong value. While it doesn't last as long as the Tylt Energi, we like the fact that the Mojo has a more accurate battery gauge, and that you can swap out the battery should the need arise. Overall, iPhone users will find the Mojo Refuel to be an excellent accessory.
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